The OtherSide
by UsagiRyu
Summary: While recovering from a near fatal wound from Darth Maul, Obi-Wan is witness to a battle royale between Darth Maul and the Headless Horseman


**Title: The Other Side**

**Author:** UsagiRyu

**Fandom: **Crossover between TPM and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow

**Rating:** PG-13 for the violence

**Categories: **AU, Cross Over, Action-Adventure, Other

**Archive:** M_A, if they want it, my page (when I get it back up), and anyone else who wants it.

**Notes/Spoilers/Warnings:** * * = Thoughts, ~ ~ = Telepathy

Takes _THAT_ scene and fixes it. You need to be familiar with a small part of the original "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving to understand a small part of the story. Also, I interject my own opinion on the Horseman and who really chased Ichabod Crane that night.

While at the Van Tassel party, ghost stories are told. Old Brouwer tells of riding behind the Headless Horseman one night. Of course, Brom Bones has to one up the elder:

"_This story was immediately matched by a thrice marvelous adventure of Brom Bones, who made light of the galloping Hessian as an arrant jockey. He affirmed that, on returning one night from the neighboring village of Sing Sing, he had been overtaken by this midnight trooper; that he had offered to race with it for a bowl of punch, and should have won it too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all hollow, but, just as they came to the church bridge, the Hessian bolted and vanished in a flash of fire._" (From "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow")

However, the image of the Horseman I use is from Tim Burton's story and is "played" by Ray Park (Who did the Headless Horseman fighting stunts). Also, Burton made a mistake. The Hessian's horse did not have a name in the story. Daredevil was Brom Bones' horse. However, in the movie, Daredevil became the Hessian's horsey. So, I'll be using Burton's mistake.

The title of the story comes from the Red Hot Chili Pepper's song "Otherside".

One final note: The Feast of Apples is an old Pagan name for Halloween.

**Disclaimer:** George Lucas owns Star Wars and Tim Burton owns the Sleepy Hollow reference. Washington Irving invented the Headless Horseman…Maybe…Who knows what rides in the November Wind. . . . .*insert scary music here*

THE OTHERSIDE

Qui-Gon Jinn sighed as he watched the slender body of his Padawan float in the bacta tank. His tired eyes trailed down to the massive abdominal wound Obi-Wan had suffered at the hands of the now dead Sith Lord. The bacta was working to finish healing the wound. But, it would leave a scar.

*Oh, my Obi-Wan, you always were reckless!* Unbidden, the memory of the battle flashed into Qui-Gon's mind.

Qui-Gon ran though the laser gates to chase down the Sith Lord, while Obi-Wan took another route, jumping up onto an overhead catwalk and running a head of his master. The gates separated Qui-Gon and Darth Maul.

Obi-Wan leapt down from his catwalk and engaged the Sith Lord. Purple sparks flew as blue and red lightsabers clashed. Even through the gates, Qui-Gon could smell the ozone from the battle. He watched as Obi-Wan severed the double bladed lightsaber Maul used. Maul growled and threw away the useless half. The Sith redoubled his attack on Obi-Wan. The Padawan was hard pressed to keep up his defenses as he was backed away from the gates and farther over the catwalk across the melting pit. Suddenly, Obi-Wan stumbled and Darth Maul slammed his red lightsaber into Obi-Wan's belly.

"NOOOOOO!" Qui-Gon screamed as he watched his Padawan collapse to the ground.

Darth Maul gloated as he stood in front of the gate. He leered at the Master, then at the Padawan. Qui-Gon's anger rose as he felt his Padawan's pain over their bond. ~Hang on, my Obi-Wan. Please, hang on.~ Qui-Gon pleaded.

Suddenly, the gates cycled off and Qui-Gon rushed into battle, his green saber glowing at full power. Qui-Gon drew on the Force to give him the strength to beat this red and black menace. Darth Maul was well trained and held his own against the Jedi Master. Qui-Gon was breathing hard from the exertion. He gritted his teeth as the two sabers made contact again. Darth Maul pushed Qui-Gon away.

Just then, Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan struggle to get up. He did nothing to indicate Obi-Wan's movement to Darth Maul. Obi-Wan quietly activated his lightsaber. ~Master, duck!~ Qui-Gon heard over their bond. Qui-Gon fell to the ground just as Obi-Wan's blue lightsaber severed Maul's horned head from his body. The head fell into the melting pit while the body collapsed with a thud on the ground. Qui-Gon jumped over the lifeless corpse and grabbed Obi-Wan before the boy fell.

"My poor Padawan," Qui-Gon murmured and kissed the boy's forehead. Obi-Wan's eyes started to drift close, but Qui-Gon growled, "Stay awake, Obi-Wan! Stay with me!" Qui-Gon held onto to the boy and his life force as the master ran out of the power station and carried the boy to safety.

"Qui-Gonsir?" Anakin Skywalker's voice broke into Qui-Gon's revere.

"Yes, Ani?" Qui-Gon asked. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing. Is Obi-Wan going to be O.K.?" Anakin asked as he watched the Padawan in the tank.

"The healers say that Obi-Wan will all right, but it will take time," Qui-Gon answered gently.

Anakin crawled onto Qui-Gon's lap, clutching a battered book to his chest. Qui-Gon looked at it and asked, "Where did you get that?"

"Obi-Wan showed it to me. I asked him for a scary story on the ride to Naboo and he read me this. He said that you always read it to him during The Feast of Apples," Anakin held out the copy of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

"I see. Did Obi-Wan tell you that he and I did a re-enactment of the chase scene for the Initiates at the Temple one year and that I hit Councilor Windu in the head with the pumpkin?" Qui-Gon laughed as he recalled that memory.

"You did?" Anakin's eyes widened.

"I was playing the Horseman and Obi-Wan was Ichabod. I had the Jack-o-Lantern in my hand, ready to throw it at Obi-Wan, but I couldn't see what I was doing. They had forgotten to put eyeholes in the cape so I couldn't see. It was very windy out and the horse I was on was feeling frisky. Right as I threw the pumpkin, the horse reared up and to the side. The pumpkin hit poor Councilor Windu in the head. Then both my horse and Obi-Wan's trotted over and started eating the pumpkin!" Qui-Gon laughed. Anakin giggled at the image.

"Was he mad?"

"No. It was an accident and it was funny."

"Oh," Anakin said. Then, another thought entered his mind. "Qui-Gonsir, why would a headless man want a bowl of punch?"

"What?" Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. Anakin held up the book again. "Ani, Brom Bones was lying when he told that story. He set up Ichabod to scare him."

"Why would he do that?"

"Brom Bones was a man ruled by his passions and his jealousy. He wanted to scare Ichabod on the way home from the Van Tassel party. So, he told that story, then dressed up like the Horseman."

"He wasn't a nice guy was he?"

"No."

Inside the tank, Obi-Wan's eyes twitched as he dreamed. . .

Obi-Wan found himself tied to a chair in a large, empty theater. All the lights, except for one over the stage, were off. A cold wind blew the stench of decay and sickly-sweet death through the theater. Obi-Wan gagged and tried to turn his head, but he couldn't. He pulled against his bonds and pain shot through his belly.

*Help me, Master.* Obi-Wan thought.

A strange thunder echoed through the theater. A being dressed in black rotted leather and a flowing black cape stepped onto the stage. Rusted, arcane weapons were strapped to a massive torso. Obi-Wan looked up and saw no head.

*Shit!* Obi-Wan whimpered. The Horseman ignored the frightened Jedi. He waited quietly, as patient as any Jedi Knight. A third figure joined them. Darth Maul, with his head and lightsaber intact, stepped out onto the stage and bowed mockingly to the Horseman and to Obi-Wan. Maul wagged his tongue at the Padawan. Obi-Wan tried to scowl, but the strange gag in his mouth prevented it.

The Horseman remained still as Darth Maul activated his light staff and spun it around. Maul's pointy teeth flashed in the subdued light as he launched his first attack against the Horseman. A strange, sour smell filled the air as the Horseman blocked the Maul's slashing attack with his own hell-forged sword. Sparks flew into the air as the swords clashed again.

Maul spun around and slashed at the Horseman. He used the same smack in the face then stab in the stomach move that had felled Obi-Wan. However, Maul had forgotten to account for his opponent's lack of a head. The Horseman sliced through the double bladed lightsaber, ruining one blade. His hell sword cut deeply into Maul's abdominal cavity. The Sith Lord called on the Force to start healing the wound far faster than it should have healed.

Obi-Wan felt the Force around the Sith, a slimy, cold sensation, gather into a powerful push of energy against the Horseman. *_Force mind whammies don't work against headless people!_ * Obi-Wan thought to himself. Apparently, Darth Maul's Master never taught that lesson to his now-dead apprentice. Not that Qui-Gon ever mentioned that to Obi-Wan either, but still…

Maul jumped over the space where the Horseman's head would have been and stabbed the massive ghost in the back with the lightsaber. Smoke curled around the hole in the moldy leather. The Horseman spun around and sent his axe flying through the hazy air. It slammed into the wall beside Obi-Wan.

*_Shitshitshitshitshit! _* Obi-Wan thought as he eyed the rusted axe. It was ancient, yet it was still sharp.

Obi-Wan coughed as smoked filled the room. The wound on the Horseman's back had smoldered through out the fight. A small flame licked at the leather and reached deep into the Horseman's body. It hit a pocket of methane gas trapped in the Horseman's chest where his heart had once beat. Black foul smoke billowed out of the Horseman, obscuring most of the fight from Obi-Wan's view. Only the red flash of Darth Maul's lightsaber cut through the smog. He stabbed the Horseman repeatedly, but it did not stop the ghostly Hessian. As the flames slowly claimed the Horseman's body, he raised his massive sword and hacked through Darth Maul's body. The Sith Lord's body fell in two pieces, cut neatly through the middle, on the stage.

The flames rose around the Horseman as he stepped on the dead Sith Lord. A loud _whinney_ echoed in the theater and DareDevil ran up to the Horseman. DareDevil stood still as his burning master jumped onto its back. Horse and rider galloped up to Obi-Wan and grabbed him, painfully yanking the Padawan free of the restraints. DareDevil's mane blew in Obi-Wan's face as a strangely sweet breeze cleared out the smoke.

"Padawan!" Qui-Gon's voice seemed to come from the horse. "Obi-Wan! Wake up!"

"Master? You're a horse?" Obi-Wan murmured as he clung to the mane.

Suddenly a large hand cuffed his head. Obi-Wan opened his eyes and found himself laying on a cot in the bacta tank room. He was coated in the slippery gel and gasping for breath. Qui-Gon held Obi-Wan's head still as a healer slipped an oxygen mask over the young man's nose and mouth. Obi-Wan relaxed as Qui-Gon stroked his hair.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan's voice was muffled by the mask.

"The life support tubing in the tank came loose. You almost drowned, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon pressed his forehead to Obi-Wan's. Anakin crawled up on the foot of the cot and handed Qui-Gon a warmed towel. The Jedi Master gently rubbed his apprentice clean and dry.

"Were you having a nightmare, Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked. "You were screaming when the healers took you out of the bacta tank. And you called Master Qui-Gon a horse."

Obi-Wan blushed. "A very bad nightmare, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured.

"What did you dream, Padawan?"

Obi-Wan sighed and opened the training bond. Qui-Gon winced as he saw the images from Obi-Wan's dream.

"That was not a pleasant dream, my Padawan," Qui-Gon shook his head. Anakin still clutched the book to his chest. Qui-Gon held out his hand and Anakin put the book in it. "I think 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow' should be relegated to a room in the Temple library for a while."

"Yes, Qui-Gonsir," Anakin sighed disappointedly.

"I have other scary books," Obi-Wan whispered to the boy. "You can read them when we get home."

Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "No scary books. Not until you are fully recovered, Obi-Wan!" He scolded.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan's smiled sleepily.

As Obi-Wan drifted off, Qui-Gon gently kissed Obi-Wan's pale cheek. "Good night, my own."

THE END


End file.
